Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Fuels: Carbon Emissions

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of carbon neutral fuel; and if he will publish the data his Department holds on that matter.

Greg Hands: BEIS publishes a range of statistics on renewable energy in Energy Trends at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/energy-trends-section-6-renewables and in DUKES at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/renewable-sources-of-energy-chapter-6-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes The Department for Transport regularly publishes data on renewable fuel supplied under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, including the carbon intensity of these fuels.

UK Emissions Trading Scheme

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to delay the compliance deadline for the 2021 UK ETS scheme, to allow the proposed consultation on free allowances time to conclude.

Greg Hands: UK Emissions Trading Scheme legislation establishes the legal requirement that the annual deadline for surrendering allowances is 30 April. This deadline is not discretionary and will not be delayed. Through both free allocation and auctions, a total of 194m allowances will have been released before the compliance deadline on 30 April, meaning that the UK ETS is well supplied to meet compliance demand.

Summertime

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of moving the UK to a single time zone instead of British Summer Time/GMT.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which Minister is responsible for decisions relating to the movement of the UK’s time zone from Greenwich Meantime to British Summer Time.

Paul Scully: The Government has no plans to change the daylight-saving arrangements. The Government believes that the current daylight-saving arrangements represent the optimal use of the available daylight across the UK.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to make payment of the Warm Homes Discount automatic.

Greg Hands: As confirmed in the recently published Government Response on the future of the Warm Homes Discount scheme, from 2022/23 onwards most eligible households will receive their rebates automatically. Each year the Government will identify around 1.9 million households on low incomes with the highest energy costs through data matching. This will enable the vast majority of households to receive their rebates automatically without having to apply, including working-age households for the first time. Eligibility would also be the same across all participating energy suppliers.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he has met with representatives of the (a) Scottish Government and (b) Welsh Government to discuss floating offshore wind.

Greg Hands: The Department has regular discussions with the Devolved Administrations on matters of mutual interest. The Government will work with the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, and industry to build a sustainable, competitive UK based floating wind supply chain.

Fuels: Costs

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of trends in the cost of fuel over the next 12 months.

Greg Hands: The Department’s analysis shows that retail prices of petroleum products such as petrol and diesel are primarily driven by the underlying price in the global market of crude oil and by exchange rates. Departmental analysis shows that changes to the price of crude oil feed through to retail prices over the course of 6-7 weeks. The prices are also influenced by a range of other supply and demand factors, including refining capacity, stock levels, logistics and distribution costs and seasonal demand variations.

Renewable Energy: National Security

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of renewable energy for national security.

Greg Hands: The crisis in Ukraine has shown the importance of the Government’s plans for a strong UK renewable energy sector to reduce reliance on fossil fuels. The Net Zero Strategy includes ambitious plans to support the deployment of renewable technologies such as offshore wind and solar. The forthcoming Energy Security Strategy will set out further detail on the Government’s plan for a strong, home-grown, low carbon economy to strengthen our future energy security.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the floating offshore wind industry on the potential economic benefits of setting a target of 15GW of floating wind by 2035.

Greg Hands: The Department holds regular discussions with representatives of the offshore wind industry. The Government has a world-leading target of 40GW by 2030 including 1GW of floating wind and anticipates further rapid expansion of both fixed and floating offshore wind through the 2030s and beyond.

Coal Authority: Climate Change

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether in accordance with section 6 of the Coal Industry Act 1994 (a) he has issued any directions to the Coal Authority requiring it to consider climate change when carrying out its functions including (i) the UK’s domestic climate goals and (ii) international climate agreements and (b) if any such advice has been prepared by the Government; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: It is the Department’s view that powers of direction can be used in exceptional circumstances and are ordinarily reserved for situations where the Department considers that the Coal Authority has erred in the carrying out of its duties.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure grid infrastructure is developed to support further deployment of floating offshore wind.

Greg Hands: Network regulation, including ensuring security of supply, is a matter for Ofgem, the independent energy regulator. Ofgem uses the RIIO price control framework to incentivise electricity network companies to invest efficiently in the grid – providing a safe, secure and reliable network for all consumers at the lowest possible cost. As part of the BEIS-led Offshore Transmission Network Review, National Grid Electricity System Operator will shortly publish a Holistic Network Design (HND) which brings together the coordinated planning of wider onshore network reinforcements and the connections for around 23GW of offshore wind, including over 3GW of floating wind. The objective of the OTNR is to ensure that the transmission connections for offshore wind generation are delivered in the most appropriate way, considering the increased ambition for offshore wind to help achieve net zero. This will be done with a view to finding the appropriate balance between environmental, social and economic costs.

Energy: Taxation

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with energy companies on whether Government policy on a windfall tax is linked to levels of investment in the North Sea; and if he will place a copy of the meeting notes in the Library.

Greg Hands: This Department holds many meetings with companies to discuss a wide range of business issues.Details of meetings held by Ministers in the Department are recorded in our transparency data, which is published at:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/beis-ministerial-gifts-hospitality-travel-and-meetings.Taxation is a matter for HM Treasury.

UK Emissions Trading Scheme

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he and the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency are taking to ensure the UK Emissions Trading System supports the UK’s energy resilience.

Greg Hands: Since the UK ETS was launched on 1 January 2021 (replacing the UK’s participation in the EU ETS), a consultation has been launched (on 25 March 2022) fulfilling the Government’s commitment to align the scheme with the UK’s net zero ambitions and consulting on options to introduce the necessary changes to the scheme predictably and smoothly over the coming decade. In doing so, businesses will be given the confidence to invest in the transition to cheap, clean homegrown energy that is significantly reducing reliance on fossil fuels and exposure to volatile oil and gas prices on global markets.

UK Emissions Trading Scheme

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department is taking to ensure issues relating to Emissions Trading System free allowances do not adversely impact decarbonisation projects.

Greg Hands: The UK is committed to protecting industry from carbon leakage as our economy decarbonises. Therefore, a proportion of allowances under the UK ETS, worth several billion pounds a year at current prices, are allocated for free to businesses at risk of carbon leakage. The Government is conducting a review into free allocation policy. The review will be conducted in two phases. The first is looking at aligning the share of free allocation under the industry cap, with proposed changes to the overall UK ETS cap. Proposals on this are included in the “Developing the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS)” consultation, published on 25 March 2022 which will run until 17 June. The second phase of the review will focus on better targeting free allocations for those with a greater risk of carbon leakage, whilst also taking into consideration the availability and affordability of decarbonisation technologies.

Biofuels

Holly Mumby-Croft: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he plans to publish the Government's Biomass Strategy.

Greg Hands: The Government intends to publish the Biomass Strategy later this year.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Park Homes

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many applications the Park Homes Warm Home Discount scheme has had in each of the last five years; and if he will increase capacity of that scheme in 2022-23.

Greg Hands: The Park Homes Warm Home Discount scheme was set up by the Government and Charis Grants. The number of applicants for the scheme over the past five scheme years is as follows: Scheme YearTotal Number of Applications2017/187,0172018/197,8922019/206,5432020/214,0482021/223,813 As the Park Homes Warm Home Discount scheme is funded voluntarily by energy suppliers through Warm Home Discount Industry Initiatives, the funding and therefore the application window can vary year on year.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he intends to announce details of extended eligibility for the Warm Homes Discount.

Greg Hands: The Government intends to lay the Regulations in Parliament in the coming months, with the reforms coming into force from the 2022/23 scheme year.

Fuels: Prices

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the competitiveness of the fuel industry in (a) urban and (b) rural areas to ensure consumers benefit from lower prices.

Greg Hands: The retail fuels market is subject to UK competition law under the Competition and Markets Authority. A competitive market ensures that road fuel prices stay as low as possible. The Government and its regulatory bodies periodically conduct in-depth reviews to explore issues such as differences in local and regional price. This framework delivers below the European average for pre-tax prices for both petrol and diesel in the UK. The Government is therefore confident that, for the UK road fuels sector, competitive markets ensure that consumers get a fair deal and that road fuel prices stay as low as possible.

Fuels: Prices

Dr Luke Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that recent decreases in the cost of oil are reflected in prices offered to consumers.

Greg Hands: Petrol and diesel prices are mainly driven by the price of crude oil (priced in US$) and exchange rates.  But are also influenced by a range of factors, which can create small price differences in the short term. This includes balance of demand and refinery capacity, levels of oil stocks, changes to the costs of biofuels and distribution, and retail margins. BEIS publishes weekly national average pump prices: www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/oil-and-petroleum-products-weekly-statistics. BEIS analysis shows that both rises and falls in crude oil prices are passed through to consumers over the course of 6-7 weeks and found no evidence to suggest that, for given changes in crude oil prices, retail prices rise faster than they fall; and fuel prices will be driven by crude prices over the previous few weeks.

Fuels: Prices

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to introduce regulatory limits on the price of (a) petrol and (b) diesel.

Greg Hands: The retail fuels market is subject to UK competition law under the Competition and Markets Authority. A competitive market ensures that road fuel prices stay as low as possible. This framework delivers below the European average for pre-tax prices for both petrol and diesel in the UK. The Government therefore has no intention to introduce regulatory limits on petrol and diesel prices.

Department of Health and Social Care

Earwax: Medical Treatments

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to introduce a NHS tariff price for ear wax removal services.

Maria Caulfield: We have no plans to do so. Decisions about the funding and provision of health services, including ear wax removal, are the responsibility of local clinical commissioning groups, which plan services to meet the needs of local communities. Local commissioners should continue to ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax services.If a clinician considers removal clinically necessary, informed by guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, the procedure should either be undertaken at the practice or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service depending on the arrangements in that area.

Earwax: Medical Treatments

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of removing excess ear wax from a patient in (a) primary care and (b) in hospital departments.

Maria Caulfield: Within hospital settings, the average cost of removing excess ear wax is £127. Information on the average cost in primary care is not held centrally. General practitioner (GP) practices are increasingly recommending self-care methods to support the safe removal of ear wax.However, if a GP practice considers removal clinically necessary, the procedure should either be undertaken at the practice or the patient should be referred to an appropriate local NHS service depending on the arrangements in that area. Local commissioners are responsible for meeting the health needs of their local population and should continue to ensure there is appropriate access to ear wax services.

Medical Equipment

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is aware of equipment with constituent parts made through forced labour having entered UK supply chains since January 2020.

Edward Argar: Suppliers appointed to NHS Supply Chain framework contracts, which provide the majority of medical goods and services to the National Health Service, must comply with the Labour Standards Assurance System or they can be removed from consideration for future procurement opportunities. If there is an allegation of modern slavery practices against a company supplying medical goods or services into the United Kingdom, these are investigated. The Department is not aware of any breaches of the requirements of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 since January 2020. Information is not held centrally on procurement undertaken by NHS trusts and foundation trusts, which takes place at a local level.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason he has not yet responded to Question 72393 PQ on Randox Laboratories asked on 9 November 2021; and when he will reply.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason he has not yet responded to Question 72393 on Randox Laboratories tabled on 9 November 2021 and Question 127359 on Written Questions tabled on 22 February 2022; and if he will reply before the end of this Parliamentary Session.

Edward Argar: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question 72393.

Protective Clothing: Females

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2022 to Question 116035 on Protective Clothing: Females and with reference to finding of Women in Global Health's report, Fit for Women? Safe and decent PPE for women health and care workers, that unisex personal protective equipment in many cases does not fit female wearers, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that buying teams source a range of different sizes; and whether he has plans to (a) set direct requirements on and (b) monitor purchasing teams.

Edward Argar: Although we have no plans to set direct requirements on or monitor purchasing organisations, the level of demand will be used to ensure the variety of sizes available is in line with healthcare workers’ needs. It is the responsibility of individuals organisations to monitor the stock and procure a variety of sizes to meet the needs of the workforce.To inform buying decisions an engagement programme was established, which includes customer engagement panels. Staff groups with different characteristics, including male and female wearers, were engaged in discussions on experiences of using personal protective equipment.

Hikvision

Sir Iain Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many Hikvision products are in use in (a) his Department and (b) the NHS.

Edward Argar: There are 82 Hikvision products in use in the Department. Information on the usage of Hikvision products by the National Health Service is not collected centrally.

General Practitioners

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many full time equivalent general practitioners in England excluding those still in training (a) there were in each year since 2015 and (b) there are in 2022 to date.

Maria Caulfield: The following table shows all full-time equivalent (FTE) general practitioners (GPs), excluding GPs in training grade from September 2015 to September 2021, the most recent comparable data available.September 201529,364September 201629,474September 201729,129September 201828,489September 201928,182September 202027,939September 202127,920 Source:General Practice Workforce, 31 December 2021 NHS Digital Notes:FTE refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. 1 would indicate they work a full set of hours (37.5), 0.5 that they worked half time. In GPs in Training Grade contracts 1 FTE = 40 hours and in this table these FTEs have been converted to the standard wMDS measure of 1 FTE = 37.5 hours for consistency. It is not recommended that comparisons be made between quarterly or monthly figures due to the unknown effect of seasonality on workforce numbers.Figures shown do not include staff working in prisons, army bases, educational establishments, specialist care centres including drug rehabilitation centres, walk-in centres and other alternative settings outside of traditional general practice such as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units.Data includes estimates for practices that did not provide fully valid staff records. The percentage of FTE that is estimated is presented for each staff group, and includes full and partial estimates.Full Estimation: Estimates are made for both headcount and FTE for those practices which did not provide any valid data for one or more of the four staff groups (or in the case of practices providing no valid direct patient care staff data, estimates are only made for those practices also failing to provide valid data for at least one other staff group). The absence of data for a staff group could be due to poor data quality or no submitted data. For these practices, clinical commissioning group-level estimations are made.Partial Estimation: In some cases, practices provide valid records about their staff but do not include information about their working hours. In these cases, the record is retained and estimates calculated for their working hours and full-time equivalence based upon the national averages for the job role. These figures are referred to as ‘partial estimates’ and the scale of these estimates varies by staff group.

General Practitioners: Halton

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the ratio of patients to GPs in the NHS Halton Clinical Commissioning Group area as of (a) April 2015 and (b) 22 March 2022.

Maria Caulfield: The following table shows the ratio of patients to full-time equivalent (FTE) general practitioners (GPs) per 10,000 registered patients in Halton Clinical Commissioning Group as at September 2015 and September 2021, the latest available comparable data.  September 20155.4September 20216.5 Source:General Practice Workforce, 31 December 2021. NHS Digital Notes:FTE refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. 1 would indicate they work a full set of hours (37.5), 0.5 that they worked half time. In GPs in Training Grade contracts 1 FTE = 40 hours and in this table these FTEs have been converted to the standard wMDS measure of 1 FTE = 37.5 hours for consistency. It is not recommended that comparisons be made between quarterly or monthly figures due to the unknown effect of seasonality on workforce numbers.Figures shown do not include staff working in prisons, army bases, educational establishments, specialist care centres including drug rehabilitation centres, walk-in centres and other alternative settings outside of traditional general practice such as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units.Data includes estimates for practices that did not provide fully valid staff records. The percentage of FTE that is estimated is presented for each staff group and includes full and partial estimates.Full Estimation: Estimates are made for both headcount and FTE for those practices which did not provide any valid data for one or more of the four staff groups (or in the case of practices providing no valid direct patient care staff data, estimates are only made for those practices also failing to provide valid data for at least one other staff group). The absence of data for a staff group could be due to poor data quality or no submitted data. For these practices, clinical commissioning group-level estimations are made.Partial Estimation: In some cases, practices provide valid records about their staff but do not include information about their working hours. In these cases, the record is retained and estimates calculated for their working hours and full-time equivalence based upon the national averages for the job role. These figures are referred to as ‘partial estimates’ and the scale of these estimates varies by staff group.

Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership and Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership: Pay

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2022 to Questions 108488 to 108505, what the salary range is for the (a) CEO and (b) Chair of each integrated care system referred to in those questions.

Edward Argar: The following table shows the chief executive pay ranges for the requested integrated care systems (ICSs).Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership£250,000 - £270,000Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System£250,000 - £270,000Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership£250,000 - £270,000The Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care partnership£175,000 - £197,500Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care system£175,000 - £197,500Joined-up Care Derbyshire Integrated Care System£190,000 - £212,500Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care System£190,000 - £212,500Lincolnshire Integrated Care System£175,000 - £197,500Live Healthy Live Happy Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System£220,000 - £240,000Northamptonshire Health and Care Partnership Integrated Care System£175,000 - £197,500Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System£190,000 - £212,500Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System£175,000 - £197,500The Black Country Integrated Care System£190,000 - £212,500Together we’re better – Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System£190,000 - £212,500Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System£175,000 - £197,500Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System£175,000 - £197,500Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System£220,000 - £240,000 In exceptional cases, such as where an area has multiple significant health and organisational challenges, NHS England and NHS Improvement can seek ministerial approval for higher salaries. The following table shows the chair pay ranges for the requested ICSs.Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership£70,000 - £80,000Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care System£70,000 - £80,000Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership£70,000 - £80,000The Coventry and Warwickshire Integrated Care Partnership£55,000 - £65,000Herefordshire and Worcestershire Integrated Care System£55,000 - £65,000Joined-up Care Derbyshire Integrated Care System£60,000 - £70,000Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Integrated Care System£60,000 - £70,000Lincolnshire Integrated Care System£55,000 - £65,000Live Healthy Live Happy Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System£65,000 - £75,000Northamptonshire Health and Care Partnership Integrated Care System£55,000 - £65,000Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System£60,000 - £70,000Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin Integrated Care System£55,000 - £65,000The Black Country Integrated Care System£60,000 - £70,000Together we’re better – Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Integrated Care System£60,000 - £70,000Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care System£55,000 - £65,000Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Integrated Care System£55,000 - £65,000Hertfordshire and West Essex Integrated Care System£65,000 - £75,000

Cancer: Waiting Lists

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were on the (a) 31 day cancer Patient Tracking List and (b) 62 day cancer Patient Tracking List as of 22 March 2022; and how many people were taken off each of those lists in each of the last 12 months.

Maria Caulfield: This information is not available in the format requested. The cancer Patient Tracking List (PTL) is a monitoring tool used by hospitals for management of their waiting lists and is not centrally validated. A patient is removed from the 31 day or 62 day pathway and PTL monitoring when:- the organisation communicates to the patient that a cancer diagnosis has been excluded;- a first definitive treatment has been completed or permitted enabling treatment;- a patient declines treatment;- a patient chooses to receive treatment privately; and- death occurs before treatment.

Blood Cancer: Health Services

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the level of funding available to the NHS to tackle waiting lists for blood cancer treatment.

Maria Caulfield: No recent estimate has been made.We have committed to invest more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25 in the recovery of elective services, including blood cancer services. We are also investing £5.9 billion in new beds, equipment and technology.The National Health Service is establishing non-specific symptom pathways to accelerate diagnoses and streamline diagnostic services for cancer, including for non-specific symptoms such as potential blood cancer.

Cancer: Diagnosis

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle regional variation in the early diagnosis of cancer.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England and NHS Improvement are delivering projects to tackle identified inequalities in cancer care, including the stage of diagnosis. The Targeted Lung Health Check programme offers lung health checks to current and former smokers aged between 55 and 74 years old.Cancer Alliances also target patient groups within the local system where early diagnosis rates are lower. Through Cancer Alliances, the National Health Service is funding local awareness campaigns with specific community and patient groups and tailored approaches aimed at identifying those who may not have consulted their general practitioner regarding possible symptoms. Local systems are expected to support general practice capacity where most patients will present. In 2022/23, Primary Care Networks are required to implement actions to improve the referral practice for suspected cancers, particularly among people from disadvantaged areas where early diagnosis rates are lower.

Cancer

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his strategy is for increasing public awareness of sarcoma cancer.

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to increase the number of sarcoma cancers that have been staged to track the NHS Long Term Plan’s target of having 75 per cent of all cancers diagnosed at stage one or two by 2028.

Maria Caulfield: The ‘Help us help you’ encourages more people to consult their general practitioner if they experience symptoms which could be a sign of cancer. The current phase of the campaign focuses on the barriers to seeking advice, such as fear or anxiety, rather than on specific set symptoms. Previous phases of the campaign have included symptoms which could be indicative of sarcoma, such as abdominal discomfort or a persistent cough.NHS England and NHS Improvement are committed to improving the completeness of staging data. The NHS England and NHS Improvement’s cancer programme is working with the National Disease Registration Service to identify trusts and tumour sites where staging data requires improvement.

Department of Health and Social Care: Written Questions

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to answer Question 125318, tabled by the hon. Member for Linlithgow and East Falkirk on 18 February 2022.

Edward Argar: I refer the hon. Member to the answer to Question 125318.

Department for Education

Skilled Workers: Expenditure

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the change in the level of funding spent on skills, across all sectors of the economy, since 2010.

Alex Burghart: Spend by the Department for Education (and previously the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills) on skills is reported through publication of the Annual Report and Accounts. These are available for each financial year since 2010/11.The Department for Education (DfE) reports are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-annual-reports.The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) reports are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/bis-annual-reports-and-accounts.Responsibility for higher and further education policy, apprenticeships and skills moved from BIS to DfE in 2016.In the 2021 Spending Review, the government set out its plan to invest £3.8 billion more in skills over the Parliament as a whole, equivalent to a cash increase of 42% compared to the 2019/20 financial year. This will ensure people can access high-quality training and education that leads to good jobs, addresses skills gaps, boosts productivity, and supports levelling up. This will support the sector to reform and deliver the technical, skilled education employers want and our economy needs.

Apprentices: Taxation

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the amount of money (a) raised by the Apprenticeships Levy and (b) spent on apprenticeships from those funds in each of the last three financial years.

Alex Burghart: The apprenticeship levy is an important part of our reforms to create a high quality, employer-led apprenticeships system, and it supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training.Monthly receipts data for the Apprenticeship Levy is published by HM Revenue & Customs in their Tax & NIC Receipts publication which can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk.The table below shows the total value of funds spent by the Education and Skills Funding Agency on apprenticeships from the last three full financial years (2018/19, 2019/20 and 2020/21):Financial YearSpend (£ million)2018/19£1,7382019/20£1,9192020/21£1,863* Includes levy, non levy, additional payments and funding to support the apprenticeships programme.

Veterans: Teachers

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding has been allocated to promote opportunities for veterans to go into teaching.

Mr Robin Walker: For veterans who do not already hold a degree, the department offers a Troops to Teachers undergraduate bursary worth £40,000. This is paid over two years to veterans who undertake an undergraduate initial teacher training (ITT) course in secondary biology, chemistry, computing, languages, mathematics or physics. Veterans who hold a degree can access the postgraduate ITT bursaries and scholarships of up to £26,000 that we offer for secondary biology, chemistry, computing, design and technology, geography, languages, mathematics and physics courses.Regardless of the subject or phase they train in, veterans can also access student finance to complete undergraduate and postgraduate ITT courses. This includes a tuition fee loan, maintenance loan and additional means-tested funding for trainees in particular circumstances, including those with children, adult dependants, or a disability.All of the above funding is allocated on a demand-led basis so there is no limit to the number of veterans who can access this funding to enter teaching.

Schools

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals on changing the framework governing the opening of new schools.

Mr Robin Walker: On 28 March 2022, we published the Schools White Paper, which set out our vision for the school system by 2030. There are currently no plans to bring forward legislative changes to the framework for opening schools, but we will keep this under review as part of our discussions on the proposals set out in the White Paper.

Refugees: Children

David Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to protect children who have been separated from parents and family on arrival in the UK.

Will Quince: The department takes the welfare of all unaccompanied children extremely seriously and is committed to ensuring they are properly safeguarded. Statutory duties placed on the local authority in respect of unaccompanied children will apply to any child arriving in the UK who has been separated from their parents and family.In England Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 (CA89) imposes a general duty on local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of ‘children in need’ in their area. Section 20 CA89 imposes a duty to accommodate children in need if they meet the relevant criteria.Generally, once a child has been accommodated by a local authority continuously for more than 24 hours, they become a looked after child and should be safeguarded and have their welfare promoted in the same way as any other looked after child, taking account of their particular needs. Any child separated from their parents and family would likely remain accommodated by the local authority, until such time as they can be re-united when possible and appropriate.

Children: Social Services

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy in the levels of funding for local authorities Children’s Services.

Will Quince: Local authorities set their own children’s services budget from their core spending power, based on local need, priorities and their statutory responsibilities.In the 2022/23 financial year, local authorities have access to £54.1 billion core spending power to deliver their services, including for children and young people. This is £3.7 billion more than in the 2021/22 financial year.As part of this, the government has boosted the social care grant, increasing it by £636 million, and bringing it to a total of around £2.35 billion in the 2022/23 financial year. Local authorities will have access to a one-off Services Grant in 2022/23, which is worth over £800 million and can be used for all services, including children’s social care.

Special Educational Needs

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the example of Sophie on page 50 of the SEND review he presented to Parliament on 29 March 2022 (CP 624), how many children both (a) five or under and (b) educated in a special school, have an Education and Health Care Plan; what proportion that number constitutes of all children with an EHCP; how many children aged five or under are educated in special schools; and what proportion of children aged five or under with an EHCP are educated in a special school.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the example of Daniella on page 40 of the SEND review he presented to Parliament on 29 March 2022 (CP 624); how many children aged four are educated at a nursery; what proportion of four year olds in England are so educated; what proportion of four year olds does he estimate to have special educational needs or disabilities (SEND); what number of four year olds have been assessed to have SEND; how many four years olds have an Education and Health Care Plan, and what proportion of the total population of four year olds in England does that constitute; and how much has been spent in each of the last 12 financial years by the Government on SEND specific CPD for nursery staff.

Will Quince: There were 10,778 pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan aged five or under and in attendance at a special school in January 2021. This constitutes 2.5% of all EHC plans in January 2021.There were 11,662 pupils aged five or under attending a special school in January 2021. 34% of children aged five or under with an EHC plan were attending a special school in January 2021.The figures above are derived from data published in the Special Educational Needs in England publication, available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/ef0839de-baad-422d-86a5-e25ea50cd63b.A table is attached providing the number of four-year-olds by provider type and the proportion of four-year-old children registered at each provider type.The number and percentage of pupils receiving funded early education who have special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) for three and four-year-olds combined are available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/18857e7f-46db-4c02-af16-939bd652c6e0.The total number of four-year-olds with an EHC plan specifically is not available. The number of children aged 0-4 with an EHC plan was 16,536. This includes all children with an EHC plan, whether attending a school or not.The amount spent in each of the last 12 financial years by the government on SEND-specific continuous professional development for nursery staff is not held by the department.149327_149328_table_showing_providers_4yr_olds (xls, 50.5KB)

Children: Functional Neurological Disorder

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure access to education for children who suffer from functional neurological disorders.

Will Quince: The government is committed to pupils with medical conditions, including children who suffer from functional neurological disorders, being properly supported at school so that they have full access to education.In 2014, the government introduced a new duty on schools to support pupils with all medical conditions and has published statutory guidance on this for schools and others. The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3.The guidance does not specify which medical conditions should be supported in schools. Instead, it focuses on how to meet the needs of each individual child and how their medical condition impacts on school life.All schools are required to identify and address the special educational needs of the pupils they support, and to use their best endeavours to make sure that a child or young person gets the support they need.

Special Educational Needs: South Holland and the Deepings

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many requests for Education and Health Care Plans were (a) requested by parents in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) signed off by Lincolnshire Council for students in the South Holland the Deepings constituency, in the latest period for which data is available.

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of exclusions from school in South Holland and the Deepings constituency were of pupils with SEN, in the latest period for which data is available.

Will Quince: The department does not hold figures on education, health and care (EHC) plan assessments requested or EHC plans put in place for students living in South Holland and the Deepings constituency. The department does hold figures on EHC plan workload at local authority level. The most recently published figures for Lincolnshire local authority can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans.There were 3 permanent exclusions and 231 suspensions of pupils with special educational needs (SEN) from schools in South Holland and the Deepings parliamentary constituency during the 2019/20 academic year. 33% of permanent exclusions and 40% of suspensions in 2019/20 were of pupils with SEN. SEN includes pupils with and without EHC plans.

Eating Disorders

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the National Curriculum on disordered eating.

Mr Robin Walker: The department has no plans to assess the impact of the curriculum on disordered eating, but the white paper is clear that ensuring pupils are taught a broad and ambitious curriculum, which also supports their health, wellbeing, and wider development, is crucial, particularly as we recover from the pandemic.Body image and mental wellbeing are explicitly covered in the relationships, sex, and health education curriculum and, at secondary level, teachers may choose to discuss disordered eating when teaching these topics. Although schools are not medical professionals, it is important that school staff understand eating disorders to inform the pastoral support that they offer to pupils and when to seek specialist support where it is needed.To support this, the government’s £8 million for the ‘Wellbeing for Education Return’ programme funded advisers in every local authority in England. Further information on this can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/wellbeing-for-education-return-grant-s31-grant-determination-letter. This is reaching up to 15,000 schools with free expert training, support, and resources for education staff to help them understand and respond to the mental wellbeing issues faced by children and young people.The department has provided an additional £7 million in 2021/22 financial year to extend this with an additional focus on directing schools towards the right local support.

Veterans: Teachers

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to plans outlined in the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-24 to promote opportunities for service leavers to get into teaching, how his Department plans to measure and evaluate the success of those plans.

Mr Robin Walker: The department is committed to further promoting opportunities for service leavers to get into teaching. Many veterans already use our services to support service leavers into Initial Teacher Training (ITT) each year.Through collaboration with the science, technology, engineering and maths communities and the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, and in partnership with the Careers Transition Partnership in the Ministry of Defence, we are working to further develop this offer. This will include increased signposting, tailored communications, hosting webinars, careers fairs, and information sessions for service leavers.The department plans to track several data points through all these activities to determine the success of, and engagement with, the offer, and over the longer term track the wider journey through to ITT. All of this will help us develop and evolve our offer to ensure it meets the needs of service leavers wishing to enter the profession.

Ministry of Justice

Drugs: Trials

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) cracked and (b) vacated trials there were for the (i) production of, (ii) supply of and (iii) possession with intent to supply of class A drugs in the (A) 12 months to September 2021 and (B) each of the preceding four years dating back to the 12 months to September 2017.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were prosecuted for the (a) production of, (b) supply of and (c) possession with intent to supply of class A drugs in the (i) 12 months to September 2021 and (ii) each of the preceding four years dating back to the 12 months to September 2017; and how many of those were granted bail during the process of the trial.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the (a) mean and (b) median length from offence to completion for trials regarding the (i) production of, (ii) supply of and (iii) possession with intent to supply of class A drugs was in the (A) 12 months to September 2021 and (B) each of the preceding four years dating back to the 12 months to September 2017.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cases on the (a) production of, (b) supply of and (c) possession with intent to supply of class A drugs had been incomplete for more than a year as of 1 September of each of the last five years.

Kit Malthouse: The pandemic is the primary cause of the increased caseload in our courts. Prior to the pandemic, the outstanding caseload had reduced significantly, from over 55,000 in late 2014 to c.33,000 in late 2018. The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts. We have extended 30 Nightingale courtrooms beyond the end of March 2022, and we removed the limit on the number of days the Crown Court can sit in the 2021/22 financial year. To secure enough capacity to sit at the required levels in 2022/23 and beyond we are expanding our plans for judicial recruitment. Below we have provided data regarding offences of ‘Production, supply and possession with intent to supply a controlled drug - Class A’ to the year to September 2021. Outstanding caseloads are measured to the end of the reporting quarter, in this case the end of September.  MeasureYear to September20172018201920202021Cracked trials860802685295592Vacated trials1,0131,0851,1351,5102,328Offence to completion at the Crown Court: mean (days)317332381414537Offence to completion at the Crown Court: median (days)268284320361489Cases outstanding for a year or more at the Crown Court2392962377581,761Additionally, the Ministry of Justice has published information on remand status (including bail) for defendants proceeded against for drug offences, up to December 2020, in the following tools, available here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1063882/remands-magistrates-court-tool-2020-revised.xlsxhttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1063884/remands-crown-court-tool-2020-revised.xlsx*To avoid double counting individuals dealt with at Crown Court, in the remands: magistrates' court tool, deselect outcomes ’06: Sent to Crown Court for trial’ and ’07: Committed to Crown Court for sentencing’ in the ‘Outcome’ filter.The figures in the remands pivot tables includes those who failed to appear to a summons, or to bail, who are excluded from the proceedings figures given in other pivot tools. Therefore, the number proceeded against for this offence in the remands tools may not match those in other tools such as the Outcomes by Offence.

Veterans: Prison Officers

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the fast track scheme for service leavers and veterans to become prison officers has begun; and what steps are being taken to promote that scheme, including through active outreach with veterans.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what funding has been allocated to developing a fast-track recruitment scheme for service leavers and veterans to become prison officers.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to plans outlined in the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-24 to develop a fast-track recruitment scheme for service leavers and veterans to become prison officers, how his Department plans to measure and evaluate the success of those plans.

Kit Malthouse: 'Advance into Justice,’ the Ministry of Justice fast-track scheme to support service leavers and veterans to become prison officers, was launched on 24 January 2022. The campaign closed on 14 February 2022 and candidates were assessed in March 2022. Those successful at assessment centre are currently progressing through the offer and hire process. The scheme was promoted in several ways including proactive social media communications in advance of the launch; dedicated candidate webinars to provide information on the role and the assessment process; active outreach at ex-Armed Forces’ recruitment fairs; and working collaboratively with the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) to engage service leavers as they transition from the military into civilian life. The campaign has received dedicated support from Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). A specific funding line to deliver campaign marketing, candidate outreach and assessment delivery was not needed as we were able to meet the costs as part of the broader Prison Officer recruitment budget. HMPPS provided operational resources to deliver the assessment centres and funding to support successful applicants with relocation or home to work travel costs is being met from existing budgets up to the advertised thresholds of £12,000 per candidate. The total cost of the campaign will be dependent upon the number of successful candidates who take up post and their agreed individual resettlement needs. A thorough evaluation review and lessons learnt exercise with key stakeholders will be completed to identify successes and challenges, as well as analysing feedback collected from candidates. In addition, analysis will be conducted to identify any differences in terms of selection performance by those on the scheme, compared to the national prison officer recruitment process, alongside evaluating fairness towards protected characteristic groups. This will be supported by our Occupational Psychology Team. In the short-term, success will be measured by the number of applications and those who progress to an assessment centre and the number of hires in our target prisons. In the longer-term, we will monitor the retention levels of those appointed via this route as well as their performance in role.

Sexual Offences: Criminal Proceedings

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to reduce delays in hearings concerning historical allegations of sexual abuse.

Kit Malthouse: The Government is committed to supporting the recovery of the courts for all court users, including those who face delays in accessing justice where there is an accusation of sexual abuse. We are increasing funding for victim and witness support services from over £150 million in 2021/22 to over £185 million by 2024/25. This will fund more than 1,000 Independent Sexual and Domestic Violence Advisors as well as 24/7 crisis helplines and is an 85% increase on funding in 2019/20. In December 2021, the Government announced that Section 28 for sexual violence and modern slavery complainants, the legislation that allows vulnerable witnesses to pre-record evidence, will be rolled out nationally for this cohort. We have extended 30 Nightingale courtrooms beyond the end of March 2022 and we removed the limit on the number of days the Crown Court can sit in the 2021/22 financial year. To secure enough capacity to sit at the required levels in 2022/23 and beyond we are expanding our plans for judicial recruitment. These measures are already working, and as a result we expect to get through 20% more Crown Court cases in the 2022/23 financial year than we did pre-Covid. Following an increase in funding as part of the Ministry of Justice’s Spending Review settlement, we aim to reduce the number of outstanding cases in the Crown Court to 53,000 by March 2025. This will help all court users, including those cases concerning historical allegations of sexual abuse. The listing of cases is a judicial function and judges continue to work to prioritise cases involving vulnerable complainants and witnesses, such as serious sex cases.

War Crimes: Russia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent discussions he has had with lawyers at the International Criminal Court on investigations into Russian war crimes.

Kit Malthouse: Further to the request for assistance from States Parties to the Rome Statute, issued by the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on 2 March, my right hon. Friend, the Deputy Prime Minister, met with the Prosecutor, Mr Karim A.A. Khan QC, twice. The first meeting, on 14 March, was focused on how the UK can best support the ICC’s investigation into war crimes in Ukraine. The second meeting, on 24 March, took place in the context of a meeting of other States Parties, convened and chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, to discuss international support for the court. This included an announcement of the UK’s offer of a financial contribution of £1 million from the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), as well as a range of technical, military and police expertise.

Cost of Living: Prison Officers

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent steps he has taken to support prison officers with the cost of living.

Kit Malthouse: In October 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced that public sector pay will return to a normal pay setting process.Prison Officer pay is governed by the Prison Service Pay Review Body (PSPRB). We submitted our evidence to the PSPRB on 23 February.Our pay proposals for 2022/23 provide at least a 2% increase in pay for all prison officers with targeted increases for our lowest paid staff, with a proposed £1,500 increase in base pay for Operational Support Grades and a c.10% increase in the starting salary for new prison officers. The evidence will now be considered by the PSPRB. Following their recommendations, the Government will announce the 2022/23 pay award later in the year.

Domestic Abuse: Victim Support Schemes

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to victims who must take time off work during domestic abuse cases being heard in court, and who do not want to inform their employers of the details of their case, whether the Government has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing financial support to victims through the court process.

Kit Malthouse: It is incredibly important that victims of domestic abuse get the support they need to access justice through the court process. The Government does not provide financial support aimed specifically at victims who are having to take time off work to attend court but encourages employers to develop and implement policies to support domestic abuse victims in their workforce. We continue to work closely with employers, businesses and expert groups such as the Employer’s Initiative on Domestic Abuse, to encourage them to consider what more they can do to provide workplace support for victims and survivors of domestic abuse. Employees are entitled to paid annual leave and may request unpaid leave and are not obliged to disclose the reasons why leave is being requested. Some employers also set their own internal policies to offer employees other forms of time off, for example for victims of domestic abuse.

Crimes of Violence: Females

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending prison sentences for perpetrators of violence against women and girls.

Kit Malthouse: Sentencing is entirely a matter for our independent courts, taking into account all the circumstances of each case. In April 2020, the Government changed the law to prevent the automatic release at the halfway point of offenders given a standard determinate sentence of 7 years or more for a serious violent or sexual offence with a maximum penalty of life, such as rape. Instead, such offenders will be released at the two-thirds point of the sentence. Provisions in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill extend this to offenders serving sentences of 4 years or more for certain violent and sexual offences. This will ensure victims and the public are protected for longer. In July 2021, the Government published its Violence against Women and Girls Strategy, with a Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan published on 30 March 2022, which will help drive a step-change in the response to these crimes and build on the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Terrorism: Sentencing

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make it his policy to increase sentences for terror offences.

Kit Malthouse: The Counter Terrorism and Sentencing Act 2021 marked a major overhaul of terrorist sentencing, including measures to strengthen the sentencing options available, improve monitoring in the community, and remove early release for the most serious offenders. Central to these measures was the introduction of a new ‘Serious Terrorism Sentence’ for dangerous offenders with a 14-year minimum prison term and up to 25 years on licence. This Act built upon the emergency legislation passed in February 2020, the Terrorist Offenders (Restriction of Early Release) (TORER) Act which retrospectively ended automatic early release for terrorists serving standard determinate sentences. We have also introduced new measures to strengthen the management of terrorist offenders in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill. We keep this vital area under constant review in order to ensure that our courts are able to impose strong penalties for those who threaten our national security.

Alternatives to Prison

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what proportion of adults who were remanded in custody pending sentencing received a non custodial sentence, in the most recent year for which data is available.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Justice has published information on custodial remands and sentencing outcomes found in the ‘Remands: Magistrates’ Court’ and ‘Remands: Crown Court’ data tools, up to December 2020. The data is in tools available at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1063882/remands-magistrates-court-tool-2020-revised.xlsx. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1063884/remands-crown-court-tool-2020-revised.xlsx. *To avoid double counting individuals dealt with at Crown Court, in the remands magistrates court tool, deselect outcomes ’06: Sent to Crown Court for trial’ and ’07: Committed to Crown Court for sentencing’ in the ‘Outcome’ filter.

Treasury

International Assistance: Ukraine

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the value of economic assistance to the Government of Ukraine in FY2022-23 will be in the form of (a) grants and (b) loans.

Mr Simon Clarke: Our economic and humanitarian support announced for Ukraine totals over £750 million. This includes a £220 million package of aid, making the UK a leading bilateral humanitarian donor; a £100 million grant to support Ukraine’s energy and security reforms, primarily delivered through World Bank programmes; and a $100 million budgetary support grant, which contributed to a package agreed on 8 March of over $700 million for direct fiscal support to Ukraine via the World Bank, to help mitigate direct economic impacts. This total also includes UK guarantees on up to $500 million of lending by multilateral development banks operating in the region, and particularly the World Bank, which will enable them to significantly scale up their financial support offer to Ukraine. Some of this humanitarian and economic support has already been disbursed to meet urgent needs (in FY21/22), with further support, including UK guarantees expected to be mobilised in FY22/23. The UK continues to engage with international counterparts, including G7 partners and International Financial Institutions on support to Ukraine.

Public Finance

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reason his Department's distributional analysis accompanying the Spring Statement 2022 combined all tax, welfare and public service spending decisions since the Spending Round 2019; and what plans his Department has to publish a separate distributional analysis for each fiscal event during that period.

Mr Simon Clarke: At each fiscal event HM Treasury has regularly published distributional analysis of the impact of tax, welfare and spending decisions on households. The aim of the government’s distributional analysis is to present a comprehensive picture of the net effect of tax or welfare changes on household incomes, as well as the impact of public spending decisions, in the round. As each policy decision will have a different effect on households, presenting the total impact over a relatively long time period provides a more robust, comprehensive and stable approach than looking at every policy individually. Distributional analysis published at Spring Statement 2022 shows that in 2024-25, the tax, welfare and spending decisions made since Spending Round 2019 (SR19) will have benefitted the poorest households most (as a percentage of income). The impact of government policy since SR19 on the bottom four deciles is expected to be worth more than £1,000 a year, while there will have been a net benefit on average for the poorest 80% of households.

Treasury: Public Opinion

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been spent by (a) his Department and (b) HMRC on (i) focus group research, (ii) opinion polling and (iii) other forms of opinion research in each of the last 20 years.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Treasury does not hold research spend for other Governments Departments. The information requested is not readily available and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Apprentices: Taxation

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spring Statement of 23 March 2022, what the process will be for his review of the working of the Apprenticeships Levy; and whether there will be an opportunity for (a) employers, (b) trades unions, (c) colleges and other training providers, (d) hon. Members, (e) councils and (f) other stakeholders to submit evidence to that review.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Spring Statement of 23 March 2022, what his planned timeline is for his review of the working of the Apprenticeships Levy; and when he plans for that review to report.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the extent to which the Apprenticeships Levy has (a) funded new apprenticeships, (b) supported new provision for the acquisition of skills and (c) led to the rebadging of existing training since it was introduced; and whether he has plans to update those estimates to inform the review of the Apprenticeships Levy announced as part of the Spring Statement on 23 March 2022.

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the review of the Apprenticeships Levy announced as part of the Spring Statement on 23 March 2022, what matters are most frequently raised with him by (a) businesses, (b) trades unions and (c) colleges on the operation of the existing scheme.

Mr Simon Clarke: As part of the Spring Statement, the Chancellor set out that he considers that a new culture of enterprise is essential to drive growth through higher productivity. Therefore, the government wants to create the conditions for the private sector to invest more, train more and innovate more. As part of this work, the Chancellor committed to examining the tax system, including the operation of the Apprenticeship Levy, to determine whether it is doing enough to incentivise businesses to invest in the right kinds of training needed for the economy to strengthen and grow. The government’s ambition is to encourage greater levels of private sector investment in employee training, both for apprentices and for employees more generally. The Apprenticeship Levy is a key part of this ambition, it is helping employers invest in and train apprentices which provide businesses with the skills they need to meet their customers’ needs and grow. Employers who pay the Apprenticeship Levy can invest their funds in high-quality apprenticeship training, while the government covers 95 percent of the training costs for employers who do not pay the Levy using unspent levy funds. The government has already transformed apprenticeships – which are jobs with training for anyone of any age, at any level or stage of their career – to align with employer needs. Since the announcement of the Apprenticeship Levy in May 2015, over 2.7 million apprenticeships have begun. The government regularly engages with employers, training providers and other interested stakeholders. The Government has recognised that some employers have frustrations with the way that Apprenticeship Levy funds can be spend within the apprenticeships system. To address these concerns, the Government has delivered various improvements to the apprenticeship system. These include the launch of Flexi-Job Apprenticeship Agencies – with 10 employers receiving a share of £5 million of funding to set up - and the introduction of the Pledge and Match Levy transfer system. Since launching in September 2021, 110 employers including Amazon UK, DPD and HomeServe have pledged to transfer over £7 million to support apprenticeships in businesses of all sizes. While there will not be a formal review of the Apprenticeship Levy or system, the government is committed to protecting the quality of apprenticeship training and making further improvements to the system to respond to the legitimate concerns raised by employers. The Chancellor will update the House further in the Autumn.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Public Expenditure

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the real terms change in the budget of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office over the next three years.

Mr Simon Clarke: As published at the Autumn Budget and Spending Review 2021 (SR21), the average annual real terms growth for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is 4.4% from 2021-2022 to 2024-25. It is standard practice for the Government to set budgets in cash terms. The FCDO, like other departments, is expected to manage risks of inflation within its budget.

Government Departments and Non-departmental Public Bodies: Public Opinion

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has been spent by each (a) Government department and (b) non-departmental public body on (i) focus group research, (ii) opinion polling and (iii) other forms of opinion research in each of the last 20 years.

Mr Simon Clarke: The Treasury does not hold research spend for other Governments Departments. However, the Government routinely publishes details of all contracts over £10,000 on Contracts Finder. As has been the case under successive administrations, any Government research, polling or analysis would be for official use.

Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether there is any Barnett Consequential for Northern Ireland from the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund; and how much that allocation will be.

Mr Simon Clarke: Spending Review 2021 allocated £800m for the Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, as part of the UK government’s 10-year £3.8 billion Manifesto commitment to decarbonise the social housing building stock in England. At spending reviews, the Barnett formula is applied to changes in each UK government department’s DEL budget with the Barnett consequentials that arise then added to the devolved administrations’ baseline block grants. Because the Barnett formula is not applied to changes in funding for all the individual programmes within a UK government department’s DEL budget, the Barnett consequentials associated with these individual programmes cannot be identified. Spending Review 2021 set the largest annual block grants, in real terms, of any spending review settlement since the devolution Acts in 1998 and the Northern Ireland Executive is receiving an average of £1.6 billion per year through the Barnett formula on top of its £13.4 billion annual baseline. It is for the devolved administrations to decide how to allocate their funding in devolved areas, including environmental planning and decarbonisation.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Crimes against Humanity

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether her Department plans to formulate and publish a UK atrocity prevention strategy in response to human rights violations in Ukraine.

James Cleverly: We are closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and have already dedicated significant resources to conflict prevention. The UK has pledged military, policing and financial support to the International Criminal Court (ICC)'s investigation into the situation in Ukraine. We will hold accountable those responsible for the atrocities that have been and are being committed in Ukraine, including both military commanders and individuals in the Putin regime.

Nigeria: Gas Fired Power Stations

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if she will publish a list of the thirteen operating gas power plants in Nigeria now owned by CDC Group’s subsidiary Globeleq after its acquisition of Globeleq Power Solutions Nigeria Limited.

Amanda Milling: Globeleq is not a subsidiary of BII (formerly CDC) but an independent company with two shareholders (of which BII is the majority shareholder), a fully constituted board and committees.Information relating to Globeleq's investments including those related to the acquisition of CPGNL Limited is available on its website (https://www.globeleq.com/).

Mozambique: Gas Fired Power Stations

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the environmental, social and governance risks associated with CDC Group’s commitment to finance the Temane gas project in Mozambique, via its subsidiary Globeleq.

Amanda Milling: BII (formerly CDC) is wholly owned by the UK Government through its shareholder FCDO. FCDO's shareholder interest is represented via the BII Board, which is accountable for all business and operational decisions. In line with best practice governance arrangements, FCDO is not involved in BII's individual investment decision-making.Globeleq is not a subsidiary of BII but an independent company with two shareholders (of which BII is the majority shareholder), a fully constituted board, an Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) committee and investment committee which examine the risks of any investments, including from ESG perspectives. The Temane gas project is a project developed and invested in by Globeleq, and ESG aspects and risks were discussed at the various boards and committees of Globeleq.BII conducts business integrity and environmental, social and governance assessments for its direct investments. As part of its new strategy, BII has further enhanced its Policy of Responsible Investing applicable to future investments, available here: https://assets.cdcgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/14074359/Policy-on-Responsible-Investing.pdf.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress the Government has made in meeting the pledge to donate 80 million covid-19 vaccines doses to COVAX by June 2022.

Amanda Milling: The UK was one of the earliest and largest donors to COVAX, contributing £548 million to the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC). Our early funding gave the COVAX AMC the purchase power to secure deals with manufacturers to supply internationally approved vaccines for up to 92 low and middle-income countries. So far, COVAX has helped deliver over 1.16 billion doses to 144 participants.In addition, as of 28 March, the UK has delivered 44.9 million vaccines to COVAX. COVAX will receive a further 16.7 million doses direct from the manufacturer when they are available. Discussions about further donations are ongoing, subject to supply chain reliability and Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advice.

Mozambique: Gas Fired Power Stations

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what proportion of the energy from the CDC Group-funded Temane gas power plant in Mozambique will supply the regional energy market; and what assessment she has made of whether that proportion is consistent with Government policy not to provide fossil fuel finance exemptions for export orientated projects.

Amanda Milling: 7 out of 10 people in Mozambique are without power. When operational, the Temane project is expected to meet the electricity needs of 1.5 million Mozambicans and support the creation of 14,000 jobs.The project has been assessed as Paris aligned and meets the criteria for limited exclusions of HMG's fossil fuel policy for selective gas investments. Temane's power is fully contracted with the Mozambican state utility company, Electricidade de Moçambique (EdM), which supplies electricity to users across Mozambique.EdM, like seventeen other utilities in Southern Africa, is also part of the regional Southern African Power Pool. Electricity from any of Mozambique's plants, including Temane, will likely be exported to regional neighbours at some points, and at other times Mozambique will import electricity. The Power Pool is vital for meeting the needs of businesses and consumers across the region who suffer from acute peak-period power shortages and load shedding today.The HMG fossil fuel policy prohibition on exports relates to the infrastructure for export of fossil fuels into global markets (such as LNG export terminals for gas exported to European or Asian markets).

Globeleq: CPGNL

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what the value was of CDC Group’s financial contribution towards Globeleq’s December 2020 acquisition of Globeleq Power Solutions Nigeria Limited, formerly CPGNL Limited.

Amanda Milling: Globeleq acquired a 74% stake in CPGNL Limited on 24 December 2020. Globeleq is an independent company which funds new investments from a combination of its own resources and, where required, from its two shareholders.Information relating to Globeleq's investments including those related to the acquisition of CPGNL Limited is available on its website (https://www.globeleq.com/).Further details, including the value of Globeleq's investment, are commercially confidential.

Zimbabwe: Politics and Government

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the recent parliamentary by-elections in Zimbabwe, what most recent assessment she has made of the political situation in that country.

Vicky Ford: The UK welcomes the largely peaceful manner in which parliamentary and local council by-elections took place in Zimbabwe on 26 March. However, the UK remains concerned by incidents of political violence and restrictions on political gatherings in the lead-up to the by-elections.The UK does not support any particular candidate or political party in Zimbabwe. It is for the people of Zimbabwe to choose their government through free and fair elections. In ensuring this, we encourage the Government of Zimbabwe to implement the recommendations of the 2018 Electoral Observation Missions ahead of the 2023 elections, including on voter registration, the voters' roll, use of state-owned resources, independence of the Election Commission and access to state owned media. More broadly, we have been clear that the UK would like to see the Government of Zimbabwe meet its international and domestic obligations by respecting the rule of law, safeguarding human rights, and implementing genuine political and economic reform, in line with the President's commitments, for the benefit of all Zimbabweans. I [Minister Ford] emphasised these messages when I met President Mnangagwa on 1 November 2021 at the COP26 World Leaders Summit in Glasgow.

Ministry of Defence

LE TacCIS Programme

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the expected delivery timeline is for the Evolve to Open programme.

Jeremy Quin: The Evolve to Open (EvO) Transition Partner contract with GDMS(UK) did not deliver by April 2021 as planned. We are in active discussions with GDMS(UK) on how to bring on this important capability as well as considering other options to achieve this objective.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Uprating

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the impact of not uprating benefits in line with inflation on levels of child poverty in Birmingham, Yardley constituency.

David Rutley: The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefits and pensions with reference to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI). All benefit up-rating since April 1987 has been based on the increase in the relevant price inflation index in the 12 months to the previous September. The relevant benefits are increasing by 3.1% from April. The latest statistics on the number and proportion of children who are in low income families by local area, covering the seven years, 2014/15 to 2020/21, can be found in the annual publication: Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). In the Birmingham, Yardley constituency 32.3% (9,058) of children were in families in absolute low income before housing costs in 2021. With almost 1.32 million vacancies across the UK, our plan for tackling poverty is firmly focussed on supporting people to move into and progress in work. Our approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of parental employment - particularly where it is full-time – in substantially reducing the risks of child poverty and in improving long-term outcomes for families and children. The latest statistics show that in the UK in 2020/21 there were 200,000 fewer children in absolute poverty, before housing costs, than in 2009/10 and 540,000 fewer children in workless households. This plan includes our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs has been expanded by £500 million and Way to Work, which is a concerted drive across the UK to help half a million currently out of work people into jobs by the end of June 2022. We have recruited around 13,500 additional work coaches who are all trained to develop a detailed knowledge of their local labour market and to offer claimants the tailored support they need to take advantage of new opportunities wherever they live in the UK. We recognise that some people require additional support and from April, the government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion. Under the first round of funding, Birmingham City Council was allocated £12,791,135.04 of funding, and they are provisionally allocated the same amount again for the extension of the fund.

Personal Independence Payment

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of claimants known to her Department who have died after registering a claim for personal independence payments and before receiving a decision on their claim; and if she will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is claimed by people with a range of health conditions and disabilities, many of which are degenerative or life limiting, and the Department treats the death of any claimant sympathetically. Claims made under Special Rules for End of Life (SREL) are fast tracked and are being cleared in 3 working days on average (as at the end of January 2022, the latest available published data). 32,510 people died whilst waiting for a decision on their PIP claim between 1st April 2013 and 31st January 2022, the latest date for which published data is available. For context, 6,440,520 claims were submitted for PIP over the same period. Cause of death is determined by a doctor, or in certain circumstances by a coroner. Information on the cause of death of claimants to PIP is not collated centrally by the Department. The Department conducts a detailed investigation, known as an Internal Process Review (IPR), in cases where:a customer has suffered serious harm, has died (including by suicide), or where we have reason to believe there has been an attempted suicide and there is a suggestion or allegation that the Department’s actions or omissions may have negatively contributed to the customer’s circumstances,or the Department is asked to participate in a local authority-led Safeguarding Adults Board or is named as an Interested Person at an Inquest (regardless of whether there is an allegation against the Department). Any serious, systemic issues identified during IPRs are considered, alongside evidence from other sources, at the Serious Case Panel. This is a quarterly meeting of the Department's Executive Team, plus independent members. The Panel agrees changes with the objective of reducing the incidences of such cases in future. Notes:Source: PIP ADS and Customer Information System  These figures include claims made under normal rules and special rules for terminally ill claimants and include new claims and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to PIP reassessment claims.If a claimant dies before a decision is made on an outstanding claim, the Department establishes whether the claimant’s representative or next of kin wishes to proceed with the claim. If not, the claim is withdrawn.Claimants’ dates of death are as recorded on the system at 25th March 2022 and may be subject to change.This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision.PIP claimants are included if they died and a PIP claim was registered before their date of death and was cleared after their date of death.Data covers Great Britain only. Under the Social Security (Notification of Deaths) Regulations 2012 and s125 of Social Security Administration Act 1992 date of death is provided to the Department for all registered deaths. Additionally, next of kin also provide information on the date of death of an individual and this information is used appropriately in the administration of Departmental benefits.

Poverty: Children

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government has made of the potential effect of increasing benefits in line with living costs on levels of child poverty.

David Rutley: No assessment has been made. The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefits and pensions, and the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) in the year to September this approach has been in place since 1987 is the latest figure that the Secretary of State can use to allow sufficient time for the required legislative and operational changes before new rates can be introduced at the start of the new financial year. CPI has been the default inflation measure for the government’s statutory annual review of benefits since 2011. CPI has a basket of goods and services that is relevant to pensioners and benefit recipients, is the target level of inflation used by the Bank of England and is an internationally recognised measure. National Statistics on the number of children in low income are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication. Latest statistics, covering up until 2020/21, on the number of children in low income in the UK can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1064433/hbai-summary-results.ods The latest statistics show that in the UK in 2020/21 there were 200 thousand fewer children in absolute poverty, before housing costs, than in 2009/10. This Government is committed to reducing child poverty and supporting all low-income families, and believes work is the best route out of poverty. With around 1.32 million vacancies across the UK our focus is firmly on supporting people into and to progress. Our multi-billion-pound Plan for Jobs, which has been expanded by £500 million, and Way to Work is a concerted drive across the UK to help half a million currently out of work people into jobs by the end of June 2022. We are giving the lowest earners a pay rise by increasing the National Living Wage by 6.6% to £9.50 from April 2022, and making permanent changes to Universal Credit, worth £1000 a year on average, to two million in-work claimants. We recognise that some people require additional support and from April, the government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion.

Universal Credit

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of her Department's advice on Universal Credit on the financial wellbeing of families.

David Rutley: No assessment has been made. A central aim of Universal Credit is to ensure that people are better off in work, and one of the key communication objectives is to help claimants understand how Universal Credit makes work pay. This message is being communicated through a range of claimant contact points, including the Universal Credit pages of GOV.UK, the online partner toolkit, printed materials and interactions between claimants and advisers (from DWP and other partner organisations). Calculators are available on the internet that can help claimants to estimate what their income is likely to be on Universal Credit. These are not sponsored by DWP, but providing accurate information is given, they have a role to play in helping people to understand how much better off they are in work.

Poverty

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will increase support to tackle housing poverty in York and other areas where Broad Rental Market Areas covers a wide geographical area.

David Rutley: A broad rental market area (BRMA) is an area within which a person could reasonably be expected to live, taking in to account access to facilities and services. The boundaries are not based on local authorities or Parliamentary constituencies and within each of the 192 BRMA’s there will be variation in rents reflecting local conditions. We increased support for private renters by boosting investment in the Local Housing Allowance by nearly £1 billion in 2020-21, providing 1.5 million households with an average of £600 more housing support than they would have otherwise received. We have maintained rates at their increased levels, ensuring all those who benefit from the increase continue to do so. For those who need further financial support with their housing costs Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP’s) are available from local authorities. Since 2011, we have provided almost £1.5 billion in DHP funding. As announced in the Spring Statement, the government is continuing to provide targeted cost of living support for households most in need. From April, the government is providing an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion.

Household Support Fund

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what additional support she will provide to local authorities to ensure that people do not go without food, heating and accommodation in the event that local authorities exhaust the Housing Support Fund through demand.

David Rutley: The government is taking action to help ease cost of living pressures, worth over £22 billion in 2022-23 which includes £9.1bn to help with fuel costs, the Holiday Activities and Food programme and the extension to the Household Support Fund. Separately, we have increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers to £4.25, helping eligible low-income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins.Additionally, Discretionary Housing Payments are available for those in receipt of Housing Benefit or Universal Credit Housing Element who require further financial assistance with housing costs. Discretionary Housing Payments funding for 2022-23 is a total of £100m for local authorities in England and Wales. Since 2011, the government has provided almost £1.5 billion in Discretionary Housing Payments to local authorities.The government is continuing to monitor developments and the consequences for the cost of living and will be ready to take further steps if needed to support households.

Welfare Assistance Schemes: Jarrow

Kate Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made on the adequacy of local welfare assistance schemes in Jarrow constituency.

David Rutley: No assessment has been made. Local Authorities have the power to establish local welfare provision in their area, using the funding they receive from the Local Government Finance Settlement. Local Authorities are responsible for determining how best to assess provision of any local welfare support. We recognise, however, that some people require extra support with meeting essential household costs due to cost of living pressures, which is why the government is providing from April an additional £500 million to help households with the cost of essentials, on top of what we have already provided since October 2021, bringing the total funding for this support to £1 billion. In England, £421 million will be provided to extend the existing Household Support Fund, whilst the devolved administrations will receive £79 million through the Barnett formula. Local Authorities are responsible for designing and delivering the Household Support Fund in their area to best meet the needs of local people, in accordance with the overall scheme parameters.

Universal Credit

Mr Richard Holden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the difference in financial support provided from (a) universal credit and (b) legacy benefits for an average family with two children aged six and eight with one parent working full time on the minimum wage and one working 16 hours a week.

David Rutley: No estimate has been made of the difference between UC and legacy for an average family and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.We have not looked at all families with 2 children aged 6 and 8 with these earnings and established the difference. The average difference would be impacted by other UC elements that they might be eligible for, including for example if claiming housing costs or not.This information is held across a number of data sets therefore would incur disproportionate cost.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Air Pollution: Urban Areas

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to mitigate the impact of high levels of air pollution on the health of people living in affected urban areas.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health for Social Care on implementing a cross-departmental strategy to tackle the impact of poor air quality on people’s health.

Jo Churchill: Latest published figures show that air pollution has reduced significantly since 2010. However, we absolutely recognise that there is more to do to protect people and the environment from the effects of air pollution, which is why we are working across Government to take the range of action set out in the Clean Air Strategy.On 16 March my Noble Friend Lord Kamall referenced in a debate on the Health and Care Bill that the next meeting of the Health Promotion Task Force would have a focus on air quality.I recently held a round table meeting with Ministers and officials from other Government departments to discuss the range of cross-Government policies that affect air quality and its impact on public health, with a particular focus on targeting action where people are most likely to be exposed to poor air quality.The Government recently launched a consultation on our two proposed targets for fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) - a pollutant of significant harm to health:A maximum annual mean concentration of 10 µg/m3 by 2040A population exposure reduction target of 35% by 2040 compared to 2018This dual-target approach will tackle the highest concentrations and ensure continuous improvement across the country. The population exposure reduction target will drive action even where concentration targets have already been achieved. We plan to set out our pathways to delivering these targets through the Environmental Improvement Plan in January 2023.The Government has allocated £880 million to tackle nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exceedances under the 2017 NO2 Plan. We are also taking action across transport by supporting the switch to electric vehicles with £2.8 billion of investment, and £2 billion in funding for cycling and walking over this Parliament.

Air Pollution: Pollution Control

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of rising inflation on the Government's efforts to tackle toxic air levels.

Jo Churchill: We will continue to monitor and adapt our policy responses in line with external economic variation.

Dogs

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has any plans to introduce mandatory licensing for professional dog walkers.

Jo Churchill: The Government believes that existing legislation provides suitable protections and therefore has no plans to introduce a mandatory licensing scheme for professional dog walkers. Professional dog walkers should comply with all relevant legislation, including the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which protects animals under the dog walker’s control, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which protects dog walking businesses’ employees and the public, and others. They should also comply with any relevant local authority requirements, not walk more dogs at any one time than their insurance policy allows, and ensure that the dogs are kept under control at all times. The Canine and Feline Sector Group, which includes in its members the UK’s most significant animal welfare organisations, has published guidance to assist professional dog walkers in ensuring the welfare of animals in their care.

Air Pollution: Standards

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the financial merits of placing the World Health Organisation guidelines on air pollution into UK law.

Jo Churchill: We will consider the World Health Organization (WHO) air quality guidelines when setting any new air quality targets, including those currently being set through the Environment Act 2021 for PM 2.5. These WHO guidelines were considered alongside wider aspects such as feasibility and costs to society of achieving new target levels. We are currently consulting with stakeholders on new PM 2.5 target proposals.

Air Pollution: Yorkshire and the Humber

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the levels of toxic air in Yorkshire and Humberside.

Jo Churchill: In accordance with the Air Quality Standards Regulations (AQSR) (2010) Defra undertakes an annual assessment of air pollutants based on monitoring and supplementary modelling for all regions of the UK, including Yorkshire and Humberside. This includes an assessment of trends and spatial distribution, together with information on any pollution events during the year. The latest report is accessible through the following URL: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/annualreport/viewonline?year=2020_issue_1#report_pdf Defra’s national air pollution monitoring network, the Automatic Urban and Rural Network, measures air pollutant concentrations at 171 sites across the UK and this information is communicated to the public in near real-time and further used to assess compliance with the AQSR (2010). This includes 15 monitoring sites in Yorkshire and Humberside, with data accessible through the following URL: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/interactive-map

Flood Control: Finance

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the adequacy of funding for flood prevention measures.

Rebecca Pow: The Secretary of State is in regular contact with his Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, including funding for flood prevention measures. This Government is investing a record £5.2 billion in around 2,000 new defence schemes which will better protect 336,000 properties. At present, we anticipate that floods capital and revenue investment from all sources will collectively exceed the level of investment up to 2027 that was recommended by the National Infrastructure Commission and the Environment Agency’s investment analysis.

Fuels: Prices

Jim McMahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs,, what assessment his Department has made of the economic impact on British farms of fuel price increases.

Victoria Prentis: The situation and impacts on farmers in particular, and industry more widely, of increasing fuel prices, are being monitored closely. Defra is in regular contact with key industry figures including the National Farmers Union, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and key sector representatives. The Government has announced steps to assist farmers with the availability of fertilisers to address uncertainty amongst growers and keep costs down for farmers, such as delaying changes to the use of urea fertiliser by at least a year to help farmer manage costs in light of pressure on the supply of ammonium nitrate fertilisers. Alongside revised and improved statutory guidance on the use of slurry and other manures during autumn and winter, we have introduced new slurry storage grants to help farmers meet the Farming Rules for Water and reducing dependence on artificial fertilisers by storing organic nutrients until needed or for onward processing. Alongside these measures, further details of the Sustainable Farming Incentive have also been published today. Given current fertiliser prices, the priority must be to pioneer new technologies to manufacture more organic-based fertiliser products, and rediscover techniques such as using nitrogen fixing legumes and clovers as an alternative to fertiliser. We have also released further details of the Sustainable Farming Incentive which will help farmers move towards sustainable farming practices over time. The Government will pay farmers to help them with the costs of sowing nitrogen fixing plants and green manures in their crops or in advance of their crops to substitute some of their fertiliser requirements for the coming season and reduce their dependence on manufactured fertilisers linked to the price of gas. We will continue to engage with industry and farmers to understand any potential pressures and options to mitigate any risks, including through the recently established industry fertiliser roundtable and expanded Market Monitoring Group.

Food Supply

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the UK's food supply and security.

Victoria Prentis: The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain that has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges.Our food import dependency on the Eastern Europe region is very low. We do not expect any significant direct impact on overall UK food supply as a result of the conflict in Ukraine. Food imports from Ukraine and Russia comprise a relatively small amount of cereals and oilseeds - such as wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower oil - and vodka. We have strong domestic production on many of the same products. We speak regularly with food industry figures, who remain confident in the food supply chain. Food prices depend on a range of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour, exchange rates and manufacturing costs. The war in Ukraine is another factor which will have an impact on food prices. We are working with major food retailers to understand the effect on individual industries and supply chains in Defra’s sectors, and any resulting impacts on price.

Food: Origin Marking

Huw Merriman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve the transparency of country of origin food labelling for online retailers and (b) help ensure that country of origin labelling is equally transparent in both online and in-store retailers.

Victoria Prentis: Food Information to Consumers Regulations require many foods to declare the origin on the label. This includes where the consumer would be misled if it were not given, and always for specific foods such as beef, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, goat, poultry, fish, shellfish, honey, olive oil, wine and most fruit and vegetables. Additionally, there are rules that help prevent the consumer from being misled about the origin of the primary ingredient of the food, although the majority of meat and dairy products sold at retail voluntarily provide the origin of the meat or dairy ingredients. Regulations ensure that where pre-packed foods are sold at distance or online, all mandatory particulars including country of origin should be available before the point of purchase and at the point of delivery. The Government is committed to optimising the information that is available to consumers, including country of origin, so that they can make informed choices in both online and in-store environments.

Home Office

UK Visas and Immigration: Telephone Services

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce the caller waiting times to the UKVI hotline dedicated to hon. Members.

Kevin Foster: Since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis, there has been a significant increase in calls to the MP Enquiry Line which has led to lengthy wait times. More staff are now being deployed to operate the line and we anticipate call wait times volumes will drop significantly as a result.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether eligibility for the EU Settlement Scheme as a family member of a person resident in Northern Ireland would be affected by the acquisition of an Irish passport during the process of an application.

Kevin Foster: Eligibility for the EU Settlement Scheme as a family member of a person of Northern Ireland would not be affected by the acquisition, by the family member or the person of Northern Ireland, of an Irish passport during the process of an application to the scheme.

Visas: Ukraine

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to support Ukrainian citizens in the UK with seasonal worker visas following the invasion of that country.

Kevin Foster: We have already taken steps to support Ukrainian nationals in the UK. Ukrainians who are in the UK under the Seasonal Worker route can have their visa extended until 31 December 2022. Ukrainian seasonal workers who are an immediate or extended family member of a person in the UK who is a British citizen, settled in the UK, or who has certain types of limited leave may be eligible under the Ukraine Family Scheme if they were resident in Ukraine immediately before 1 January 2022. Full details of which can be found here: Apply for a Ukraine Family Scheme visa - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Ukrainian nationals who had permission to stay in the UK on 18 March 2022 (or those whose visa has recently expired) will be able to stay in the UK under the Ukraine Extension Scheme. Eligibility for permission to stay will include those who were in the UK before 18 March as seasonal workers. The Seasonal Worker route remains open to all nationalities wishing to take up work in the horticulture sector.

Migrants: Northern Ireland

Stephen Farry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, where a visa-national entering the UK via Dublin airport can get their entry stamp in Northern Ireland.

Kevin Foster: There are no routine immigration controls on journeys between Ireland and Northern Ireland. However, individuals arriving in the UK, wherever they enter from, must do so in line with the UK’s immigration framework - for example by being in possession of a valid visa.There is no requirement for a visa national who possesses a valid UK visa and who enters the UK via Dublin Airport to obtain an entry stamp in their travel document after their arrival in Northern Ireland.

Windrush Compensation Scheme

Kirsten Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the reasons for the discrepancy in the rise in the number of (a) claimants under the Windrush Compensation Scheme and (b) preliminary offers made in the year to the end of February 2022.

Kevin Foster: Those eligible under the terms of the scheme will receive a minimum Impact on Life payment of £10,000. This is paid as a new early preliminary payment, so people don’t have to wait for their whole claim to be assessed. Within six weeks of eligibility for the Windrush Compensation Scheme being confirmed, an initial assessment of each claim is conducted to determine whether we can offer a preliminary award of £10,000.00, under the ‘Impact on Life’ category. In this initial assessment, we use the information and evidence provided to date, to determine whether, on the balance of probabilities, the claimant suffered detrimental impacts because they were unable to demonstrate their lawful status. We are constantly reviewing processes to ensure necessary information and evidence is available at the earliest point possible, including sign-posting individuals to We are Digital who provide support to submit applications to the Scheme. This initial assessment does not represent a full assessment of the claim, and it does not mean a final decision about entitlement for compensation has been made. Claimants who do not initially receive a preliminary award offer will have the opportunity to provide further evidence for consideration of a preliminary award during the claim process. Our intent is to ask for the minimum evidence necessary to reduce the burden on individuals, whilst maximising the offers we can make at the earliest possible point. We want people to get the maximum compensation to which they are entitled and will work with individuals to support them with this.

Refugees: Ukraine

Virginia Crosbie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce bureaucracy for refugees fleeing from the war in the Ukraine.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office is continually making efforts to simplify the application process for Ukrainian refugees and keeps this under regular review As part of the Home Office’s commitment to make it easier for applicants to apply to our schemes, since 15 March Ukrainians with valid passports no longer need to go to a Visa Application Centre (VAC) to give their biometrics before they come to the UK.Ukrainians without valid passports are required to attend a VAC and provide their biometric information, this includes collecting their visa once their case is concluded.If customers do not have a valid passport, UKVI staff will work with individuals and Border Force to facilitate their entry to the UK.

Refugees: Ukraine

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what preparations her Department made in anticipation of a humanitarian and refugee crisis leading up to the invasion of Ukraine.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office, in line with the rest of government, has contingency plans for a wide range of risks, and reviews and updates them regularly in response to events.

Refugees: Ukraine

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) financial support, (b) accommodation and (c) healthcare services are in place in the UK for refugees from Ukraine.

Kevin Foster: To support Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion, the Government has launched the Ukraine Family Scheme and Homes for Ukraine Scheme. Under both schemes, those who apply successfully will be granted leave for three years, during which time they can work and access public services, including assistance from local authorities for housing, and they will have access to healthcare.In addition, under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, sponsors are offered a thank you payment of £350 per month for up to twelve months. The Government will also provide funding of £10,500 per person to local authorities to enable them to provide support to families and integrate them into local communities.

Asylum: Ukraine

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of waiving visa entrance requirements for Ukrainians fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Kevin Foster: Russia’s assault on Ukraine is an unprovoked, premeditated attack against a sovereign, democratic state. We stand with Ukraine. The UK has responded quickly and made changes to the immigration system, to support those affected by the conflict. The Ukraine Family Scheme has been set up which allows family members of British nationals, UK settled persons and certain others to come to or stay in the UK. From 15 March Ukrainians, who are eligible for the family scheme with passports have been able to apply and get permission to come to the UK, fully online, from wherever they are. They have been, and will continue to be, able to give their biometrics once in the UK. In addition, the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme allows Ukrainian nationals and their family members to come to the UK if they have a named sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. It would be wrong to make a blanket offer of sanctuary to those who may have committed offences which would be serious crimes in the UK or to those who pose a threat to our national security. Similarly, the checks as part of the visa process provide a vital safeguarding opportunity to protect vulnerable women and children looking to travel to the UK. Therefore we will not be waiving visa requirements.

Refugees: Ukraine

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many refugees her Department estimates will arrive from Ukraine; and whether her Department plans to limit the number of refugees that it will admit from Ukraine.

Kevin Foster: The Government has set no limit on the number of Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion who can come to the UK and does not plan to.

Refugees: Ukraine

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her oral statement of 1 March 2022 on Humanitarian support for Ukrainians, whether the humanitarian sponsorship pathway route will be open to the immediate families of Ukrainian students studying in the UK.

Kevin Foster: This Government has made clear its support for Ukrainians fleeing in fear for their lives. We have brought forward a bespoke humanitarian support package for the people of Ukraine, having listened carefully to the Ukrainian Government. The bespoke ‘Homes for Ukraine’ scheme allows individuals, charities, community groups and businesses in the UK to bring Ukrainians to safety. This includes those individuals with no family ties to the UK. Ukrainian students in the UK will be able to register their interest to become a sponsor of a named individual to come to the UK, as long as they meet the sponsorship eligibility criteria. All sponsors must be over the age of 18 and be able to provide accommodation for at least 6 months. For those who are not a British citizen, they must have leave to remain in the UK for at least 6 months so they have the ability to provide at least 6 months’ accommodation for those who they sponsor. There will be no limit on the number of arrivals, and those who come to the UK on the scheme will have permission to live and work here for up to 3 years. They will also have access to healthcare, benefits, employment support and education. For further information on the Homes for Ukraine Scheme can be found here:https://homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk/

Visas: Ukraine

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she plans to establish a British consular presence in Calais to issue visas to people fleeing the war in Ukraine.

Kevin Foster: We have worked closely with the French Government to respond to the situation in northern France. In partnership with the French Government, we have established a new temporary Visa Application Centre in Arras to provide extra support for those people in Calais who are eligible for our Ukraine schemes. It is operating by referral only.This is a rapidly shifting situation, and we are keeping our operational response under constant review to ensure we adapt as needed to best support people through this process and keep pace with the evolving picture on the ground.

Visas: Ukraine

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's guidance on applying for Ukraine Family Scheme visas, if she will make it her policy to include surrogate mothers who are carrying the children of British nationals in the list of eligible family members.

Kevin Foster: The Home Office has now made provision for this group, and their immediate family members, to be given permission to come to the UK based on their exceptional circumstances by granting entry visas outside the Immigration Rules. The surrogate mother, where the child is not yet born, and her immediate family will be able to enter the UK for a period of up to 36 months and will have access to public funds and employment. They will not be subject to any fees or an application fee or the Immigration Health Surcharge.We also envisage cases in which the child will already have been born. In these cases we will grant visas outside the Immigration Rules on the basis of exceptional circumstances.f the birth has taken place outside Ukraine, the British nationality status of the child may still not be fully resolved. In such circumstances we will establish a clear process for resolving this in the UK, to ensure the child can enter the UK using an immigration visa on the basis of such nationality as he or she may hold.

Visas: Ukraine

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral Statement of 1 March 2022, Official Report, column 915, whether family members normally resident in Ukraine are eligible to apply to the Ukraine Family Scheme if their relative in the UK is a (a) non British National, including Ukrainian citizens, with Indefinite Leave to Remain, (b) non British National on a work or study visa and (c) non British National on a visitor visa.

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral Statement of 1 March 2022, Official Report, column 915, whether the (a) aunts and uncles and (b) unaccompanied nieces and nephews of people living in the UK are eligible to come to the UK from Ukraine via a family migration visa.

Kevin Foster: As set out in the Home Secretary’s statement to the House on 1 March, a fee free, bespoke Ukraine Family Scheme has been introduced. The route allows both the immediate family members (spouse, civil partner, durable partner, minor children) and extended family members (parent, grandparent, adult children, grandchildren, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, in laws and their immediate family) to join their relatives in the UK. The UK-based sponsoring relative must be a British citizen, a person who is present and settled in the UK (including those with settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme), a person in the UK with refugee leave or with humanitarian protection or an EEA or Swiss national in the UK with limited leave under Appendix EU (pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme). This route was launched on 4 March.People in the UK on work study or visit visas, who have not acquired settled status will not be permitted to sponsor a relative under the Ukraine Family Scheme. However, on 18 March the Government launched the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, which enables individuals, charities, community groups and businesses to volunteer accommodation and provide a route to safety for Ukrainians, and their immediate family members, forced to escape their homeland. Ukrainian nationals resident in the UK with at least six months’ leave can qualify to sponsor under this scheme if they are able to offer suitable accommodation and pass security checks. Further information about the Homes for Ukraine Scheme has been published here:https://homesforukraine.campaign.gov.uk/Ukrainian nationals in the UK on visit visas will be able to sponsor under the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, if they extend their stay under the new Ukraine Extension Scheme, which was announced on 29 March 2022. This scheme will launch on 3 May 2022 and will allow Ukrainian nationals and their partners or children who had leave to remain in the UK on 18 March 2022, or whose right to remain has expired since 1 January 2022, to apply to extend their stay in the UK for a period of three years. Further information on the scheme can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/support-for-family-members-of-british-nationals-in-ukraine-and-ukrainian-nationals-in-ukraine-and-the-uk#if-youre-ukrainian-and-are-already-in-the-ukWe are setting no limit on the numbers of people who can come here. We will be glad to welcome as many Ukrainians as wish to come.

Visas: Ukraine

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department is prioritising applications for family migration visas made by people who are fleeing Ukraine.

Kevin Foster: Applications for the new Ukraine Family Scheme opened on Friday 4 March. Applications under the Scheme are being prioritised by UKVI Further updates on the number of Ukraine Family Scheme visas issued can be found in our published data on the GOV.UK webpage: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ukraine-family-scheme-application-data

Asylum: Ukraine

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is her policy to provide support to Commonwealth nationals who are fleeing war in Ukraine.

Kevin Foster: ur humanitarian response has been developed in close consultation with the government of Ukraine and we will continue to support those who wish to come to the UK as a result of the current situation.A fee free, bespoke Ukraine Family Scheme was introduced and set out by the Home Secretary in her statement on 1 March. The route allows both the immediate family members (spouse, civil partner, durable partner, minor children) and extended family members (parent, grandparent, adult children, grandchildren, siblings, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, in laws and their immediate family) to join their relatives in the UK. The UK-based sponsoring relative must be a British citizen, a person who is present and settled in the UK (including those with settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme), a person in the UK with refugee leave or with humanitarian protection or an EEA or Swiss national in the UK with limited leave under Appendix EU (pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme). This route was launched on 4 March.Furthermore, the ‘Homes for Ukraine’ Scheme launched by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 18 March, will allow individuals, charities, community groups and businesses in the UK to bring Ukrainians to safety – including those with no family ties to the UK. There will be no limit on the number of arrivals, and those who come to the UK on the scheme will have permission to live and work here for up to three years. They will also have access to healthcare, benefits, employment support and education.Commonwealth nationals can apply for visas to come to the UK via existing routes. The Home Office has no plans to establish further routes to support Commonwealth nationals fleeing the conflict given most will be able to seek safety in the country they are a national of.

Visas: Ukraine

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral Statement of 1 March 2022, Official Report, column 915, what charges people coming to the United Kingdom from Ukraine on a visitor visa are required to pay to transfer to a (a) family visa or (b) skilled worker visa.

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the oral Statement of 1 March 2022, Official Report, column 915, what happens to people coming to the United Kingdom from Ukraine if their visitor visa has expired and who do not qualify for a family visa or a skilled worker visa.

Kevin Foster: The Government has already established the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Homes for Ukraine Scheme. These have provided flexibility for those already in the UK to enable them to switch visas where they would not normally be able to, including visitors. The Government is now going further still by launching a new Ukraine Extension Scheme on 3 May. Ukrainian nationals and their partner and children who had permission to stay in the UK on 18 March 2022 (or which has recently expired) will be able to stay in the UK under the Ukraine Extension Scheme. Eligibility for permission to stay will include those who were in the UK as visitors. Successful applicants will be granted permission to stay in the UK for 3 years with full access to work, study and public funds. The Ukraine Family Scheme, Homes for Ukraine Scheme and Ukraine Extension Scheme are all free of charge with no requirement to pay any application fee or broader charges such as the Immigration Health Surcharge. There will be no limit to the number of Ukrainians who can benefit. These new routes show the UK stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and its citizens. The changes we are making to the visa process are making it quicker and simpler for Ukrainians to come here, as well as ensuring those already here can stay.

Domestic Abuse: Victims

David Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support her Department is providing to victims of domestic violence who have no recourse to public funds.

Tom Pursglove: Tackling domestic abuse is a priority for this Government and we are committed to supporting all victims of domestic abuse, regardless of immigration status. On 30 March, we published the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan which will seek to transform the whole of society’s response to prevent offending, support victims and pursue perpetrators, as well as to strengthen the systems in place to deliver these goals.Support is provided to migrant victims of domestic abuse in the UK through our Destitute Domestic Violence Concession (DDVC), which enables individuals to access public funds for three months, which can be used to fund safe accommodation. Migrant victims can also apply for settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain) under the Domestic Violence Indefinite Leave to Remain Rules. The intention is to safeguard victims of domestic abuse by offering them an immigration status and financial support, independent of the abusive partner. Following the Government’s review of support to migrant victims in 2020, last year we launched the Support for Migrant Victims Scheme to provide for victims who are not eligible to apply under the DDVC. The 12-month pilot, run by Southall Black Sisters and their delivery partners, and supported with £1.5 million of Government funding, provides support services for migrant victims of domestic abuse. The funding also provides wrap-around support which includes accommodation, subsistence and counselling. The pilot and independent evaluation by Behavioural Insights Ltd, aims to develop an evidence base, which in turn should allow us to understand requirements for policy development. The evaluation will be producing a final report in Summer 2022. In the interim, we will provide £1.4 million in 2022-23 to continue to fund support for migrant victims and survivors whilst we take on board vital lessons learned from the pilot to inform future policy decisions.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Public Buildings: Asbestos

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities are adequately equipped to tackle asbestos in public sector buildings.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities have suitable guidance in place on tackling asbestos and its effect on public health.

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps is he taking to ensure that asbestos in public buildings is remedied as rapidly as possible.

Kemi Badenoch: All public bodies, including local authorities, are responsible for how they manage asbestos in their buildings and are expected to comply as dutyholders under the relevant legal requirements.The Health and safety Executive - an executive arm of the Department for Work and Pensions - publishes a range of guidance about working with asbestos and how to comply with relevant legislation. This is set out under the Control of Asbestos Regulations (CAR) 2012 with further guidance available on HSE’s website HSE: Asbestos - health and safety in the workplaceThe Local Government Finance Settlement for 2022/23 makes available up to £54.1 billion to councils. The majority of this funding is un-ringfenced in recognition of local authorities being best placed to understand local priorities.

Social Rented Housing: Pest Control

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether restrictions are placed on the deployment by local authorities of funding and pest control services for rat or other pest infestations in social housing.

Stuart Andrew: Pest control services for rat or other pest infestations will be a normal part of an authority’s statutory management and maintenance responsibilities where they are the landlord. Where such expenditure takes place concerning the council’s own housing stock it should be debited to their Housing Revenue Account. The Housing Revenue Account is a ring-fenced landlord account, which means that the authority can only credit or debit it for income and expenditure on its own housing and housing-related stock.  Where the authority performs this function for non-housing assets, or for any property not owned by the authority, the costs fall to the authority's General Fund. The Local Government Finance Settlement for 2022/23 makes available an additional £3.7 billion to councils, including funding for adult social care reform. The majority of this funding is un-ringfenced in recognition of local authorities being best placed to understand local priorities, such as pest control.Guidance on the operation of the Housing Revenue Account ring-fence can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operation-of-the-housing-revenue-account-ring-fence/operation-of-the-housing-revenue-account-ring-fence

Cabinet Office

Life Peers: Public Appointments

Matt Western: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many recommendations for life peerage appointments made by the House of Lords Appointment Committee have not been followed since 2010.

Michael Ellis: The House of Lords Appointments Commission (HoLAC) was established in 2000 as an independent body. HoLAC is responsible for the vetting for propriety of all life peerages to the cross-bench and political benches of the House. HoLAC seeks advice from the appropriate vetting agencies and then will either advise the Prime Minister that it has no concerns about the appointment, or will draw its concerns to the Prime Minister’s attention. These vetting procedures and the advice to the Prime Minister are confidential.Where HOLAC does not support a nomination, and a Prime Minister has exercised their right to recommend it anyway, this information is communicated in general terms to the relevant select committee (PACAC) whilst also protecting the identity of the nominee in question.

Veterans: Employment

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the advisory group of organisations employing veterans has been established; and how that group's findings will be presented or published.

Leo Docherty: The commitment to establish an advisory group of organisations employing veterans is one of over 60 set out in the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan, which was published earlier this year. The group will focus on members' experiences employing those who have served and will also provide a forum for discussion around the range of policies and programmes impacting veterans in this area.

Veterans: Health Services

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what funding has been allocated to promote opportunities for service leavers and veterans to go into careers with the Uniformed and Health Services and associated support staff.

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to plans outlined in the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-24 to promote opportunities for Service leavers to go into careers with the uniformed and health services, how his Department plans to measure and evaluate the success of those plans.

Leo Docherty: Ensuring veterans maintain stable and fulfilling employment post service is a key theme of the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan. The Government has committed over £70 million on more than 60 Action Plan commitments, including promoting opportunities in the uniformed and Health services. It will be delivered by departments through sharing of resources and messaging, creation of networks and championing schemes such as Step into Health and Advance Into Justice. The Office for Veterans’ Affairs monitors the delivery of the Strategy Action Plan, and regularly convenes departments across Government to ensure these important commitments are met.

Veterans: Civil Service

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps have been taken to bring together all service leaver and veteran life chances schemes in the civil service under the central management of Going Forward Into Employment.

Leo Docherty: The Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) Life Chance scheme provides opportunities for those who face barriers to employment, and who would struggle to compete on the basis of fair and open competition without further training and support. Through the use of an exception (2) in the Recruitment Principles 2018, we are able to use innovative approaches to recruit individuals on Fixed Term Appointments, which may lead to the option of being made permanent. The Veterans scheme, launched by GFiE in 2019, provides all departments with the ability to employ Veterans or Military Partners & Spouses into real roles. In addition, a single departmental scheme (run out of HMRC) was developed to support Service Leavers and in December 2021, this was brought into the GFiE delivery model, allowing it to be delivered centrally, but more importantly, it has now been made available for all departments to utilise. We continue to grow the scheme and do more, with the introduction of GFiE targets announced in the Office for Veteran Affairs Strategic Action Plan from April 2022. This will help provide an increasing number of Life Chance opportunities and help to make the Civil Service a great place to work for Veterans.

Cabinet Office: Public Expenditure

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will detail the losses and special payments valued at under £300,000 for his departmental group as defined by section A4.10.7 in HM Treasury's Managing Public Money for (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20 and (c) 2020-21.

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: Cabinet Office records losses and special payments in line with managing public money and are included in the department’s losses & special payments register. The total number and amounts are summarised in the Cabinet Office’s Annual Accounts.All losses and special payments for the years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 valued at under £300,000 are set out in the attached document.Tables for CO losses and special payments (pdf, 67.7KB)

Department for International Trade

Sanctions: Russia

Mr David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment her Department has made of the economic impact of sanctions on (a) Russia’s GDP, (b) UK foreign direct investment in Russia and (c) the value of UK trade in goods and services with Russia in FY2022-23.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: In coordination with her allies, Britain is introducing the most severe economic sanctions that Russia has ever faced. The expected impacts of trade sanctions imposed to date are available on GOV.UK. We do not speculate on future sanctions.

Department for International Trade: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the answer of 28 January 2022 to Question 107507, whether the published £5,575.72 cost of her predecessor’s visit to the United States from 21st to 23rd September 2019 included (a) first class or (b) business class air tickets; and what the stand-alone cost of those tickets were.

Penny Mordaunt: The stand-alone cost of tickets was £5,572.72. This comprised a return business class flight from London to New York.

Department for International Trade: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2022 to Question 107507, whether the published £13,614.22 cost of her predecessor’s visit to New Zealand, Australia and Japan from 14th to 20th September 2019 included (a) first class or (b) business class air tickets; and what the stand-alone cost of those tickets were.

Penny Mordaunt: The standalone cost of tickets was £13,614.22. This comprised several flights. Long haul flights (London to New Zealand; Australia to Japan; and Japan to London) were booked at business class. Short haul flights (between Australia and New Zealand, and within Australia) were booked at economy class.

Department for International Trade: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2022 to Question 107507, whether the published £3,007.87 cost of her predecessor’s visit to the United States from 1st to 4th August 2020 included (a) first class or (b) business class air tickets; and what the stand-alone cost of those tickets were.

Penny Mordaunt: The stand-alone cost of tickets was £2,733.75. This comprised a business class return flight from London to Washington.

Department for International Trade: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2022 to Question 107507, whether the published £4,873.51 cost of her predecessor’s visit to India from 4th to 10th February 2021 included (a) first class or (b) business class air tickets; and what the stand-alone cost of those tickets were.

Penny Mordaunt: The stand-alone cost of tickets was £4,363.86. This comprised a return business class ticket from London to Delhi.

Department for International Trade: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2022 to Question 107507, whether the published £6,936.99 cost of her predecessor’s visit to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia from 18th to 20th April 2021 included (a) first class or (b) business class air tickets; and what the stand-alone cost of those tickets were.

Penny Mordaunt: The stand-alone cost of tickets was £6,677.12. This comprised a return business class ticket from London to Abu Dhabi, returning Riyadh to London (£6,490.12), plus an economy ticket for a short haul flight from Dubai to Riyadh (£187.00).

Department for International Trade: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2022 to Question 107507, whether the published £2,898.61 cost of her predecessor’s visit to Israel from 28th June to 1st July 2021 included (a) first class or (b) business class air tickets; and what the stand-alone cost of those tickets were.

Penny Mordaunt: The stand-alone cost of tickets was £1,909.22. This comprised a return business class ticket from London to Tel Aviv.

Department for International Trade: Aviation

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2022 to Question 107507 on Department for International Trade: Aviation, whether the published £5,066.02 cost of her predecessor’s visit to the United States from 6 to 10 August 2019 included (a) first class or (b) business class air tickets; and what the stand-alone cost of those tickets were.

Penny Mordaunt: The stand-alone cost of tickets was £5,066.02. This comprised a return business class flight from London to Washington.

Overseas Trade: Bahamas

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of trade links between the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and the United Kingdom.

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of trade links between Jamaica and the United Kingdom.

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: Total trade between the United Kingdom and Jamaica was £308 million in the four quarters to the end of Q3 2021. Total trade with The Bahamas was £301 million in the same period.The United Kingdom has a trade deal with both Jamaica and The Bahamas providing duty-free quota-free access to the British market for their goods. In return, they have committed to gradually liberalise access for the majority of their British imports. The trade deal covers services trade, intellectual property, procurement and other areas to support trade with our Commonwealth family, backing businesses, creating jobs and boosting prosperity across our nations.

Prime Minister

Energy Supply

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Prime Minister, with reference to the roundtable he held with UK oil and gas industry representatives on 14 March 2022, whether he has met representatives of renewable energy companies to discuss (a) domestic energy security and (b) increasing renewable energy capacity; and if he will place a copy of those meeting minutes in the Library.

Boris Johnson: I met representatives of the renewable energy sector on 31 March. Details of this meeting can be found on gov.uk.